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After Ben Smith was “fired” by his urologist 10 years ago for declining to undergo a radical prostatectomy to treat his prostate cancer, Smith fired up his computer and got to work.
“I started doing Internet research and looking at every available therapy at the time, even cryotherapy,” the 62-year-old Cocoa Beach, Florida, resident says. “All of the treatments had pretty good efficacy. But then, they would talk all about the possible side effects like impotence and incontinence — except for proton beam therapy.”
At the time, there were only a handful of clinical centers offering proton therapy in the United States, including ones in Boston, Massachusetts, and Loma Linda, California. “I did a little more homework and found that the University of Florida was... Full article

Check out the latest news about proton therapy: this week, find out how this state-of-the-art treatment modality is adding years to life and improving quality of life all over the world, at any age.
Help take 3-year-old Pippa for life-saving treatment in the US
Emily Robinson from Southport, UK, is urging people to support a fundraising drive to take Pippa Belle Cole, her 3-year-old niece for urgent treatment in the... Full article

Check out the latest news about proton therapy: this week, find out how this state-of-the-art treatment modality is improving cancer care and offering a better quality of life during and after treatment.
Scott fighting cancer with proton therapy
Steve Scott, 58, former Olympian and American record holder in the mile, thought he was done when his doctors diagnosed him with prostate cancer. Then he... Full article

For 13 years, no rooftop was too tall for George Groeber to climb and inspect. He’d figure out a way to get up there. He had to.
He knew families counted on him to be sure the biggest financial investment of their lives — a new home — was structurally sound and safe from top to bottom. And that they’re getting what they’re paying for.
When George was diagnosed with prostate cancer in October 2013, he... Full article

There’s always work to be done on the Lazy KT ranch in northwest Oklahoma. Tending to a herd of Black Angus beef cattle. Hauling hay. Cleaning out horse stalls. Repairing a fence line. It’s a life Michael Horntvedt just loves.
The 1,500-acre ranch has been in his wife Katie Blunk’s family for three generations. It’s located outside of Freedom, Oklahoma, population 289. Michael and Katie’s closest... Full article

Joe Tuftnell, 70, was not convinced when his doctors told him that the best course of treatment for his early-stage prostate cancer was to do nothing. Instead, he went to Prague to have his tumor destroyed by proton beam therapy, not available on the NHS.
Joe was diagnosed last April and was told by his hospital consultant that the cancer could be managed with 'active surveillance'. He could not see the point of waiting for the condition to worsen, but the alternatives (surgery and traditional radiation therapy) involved considerable risk of impotence and incontinence.... Full article

Rich Braun has been commuting by bike to his job for seven years. In sun, rain and even snow. Forty-five minutes each workday morning, peddling a bit uphill, with the return trip a speedier 35 minutes.
It’s a ritual by which Rich abides all year long.
Come the weekend, Rich usually lets loose with a 50- or 60-mile trek. “Yeah, I live a pretty active lifestyle,” says the 60-year-old resident of Everett,... Full article

With 14 proton therapy centers currently operating in the United States and an additional 28 up and running worldwide, studies on the efficacy of using proton beam therapy for cancer treatment are being more widely conducted now than ever before.
“Ten years ago, there were only three proton centers operating in the United States, so the number of patients who were being treated and actually could be included in... Full article

The two-month recovery from surprise gallbladder surgery was no picnic for Jim Rauner. No picnic at all. And he was due for a second major procedure: robotic surgery to remove his prostate.
“I cancelled it,” said the 65-year-old former stationery store owner from Boonton, New Jersey. The prospect of another long, painful recovery was just too much for him. “I decided somewhere during that period of time that I was... Full article

A long-term outcomes study of prostate cancer patients treated with image-guided protons may begin to dispel questions about the efficacy of proton therapy and its impact on patient quality of life.
For five years, clinicians at the University of Florida Proton Therapy Institute in Jacksonville, Florida, tracked the ongoing health of 211 men. Each had been diagnosed with low-, intermediate- or high-risk prostate cancer.... Full article

This month, 65-year-old Doug Neal will be setting out with his commercial fishing partner for the blue waters of the Gulf of Alaska to catch black cod. The same as he’s done nearly every May since he was 14.
“Between the two of us, we’ll catch 55,000 pounds,” Doug said. “My buddy’s already made one trip. I imagine we can get our quotas in one more trip out there.”
Doug is... Full article

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In the search for the best cancer therapy option, “knowledge is power”. Our goal is to help patients and their families by sharing the stories of people that know about Proton Therapy. If you have had experience as a patient, a family member, a caregiver, please share it with our readers. It will give hope. It may save a life. Share if you care.

About Proton Therapy Today

Proton Therapy Today, the online magazine for proton therapy.
Proton Therapy Today is an editorial website which gathers serious, trustworthy stories and information about the “world of proton therapy”.
As the most advanced form of radiation therapy, proton therapy helps limit side effects of cancer treatment and is preferably used to fight cancers seated where side effects are particularly unwanted (brain or prostate cancers, pediatric cancers, etc.) This type of treatment offers patients a more efficient and compassionate way of fighting against cancer.
However, today, proton therapy is only starting out: its accessibility is still low, though growing, which puts it at the center of a lively debate. Many people, patients, physicians, nurses, physicists, researchers, manufacturers are working diligently to develop and make this treatment option accessible to more...